We stayed at the Adelaide InterContinental (formerly the Hyatt). We booked our tickets through wotif. We got a fairly good deal. You can save yourself about $50 by booking about a week in advance. If you book too far ahead the rates may still drop, but if you leave it to only a few days before you can miss out on extra cheap rates. Idea: We could stay in a 2 1/2 star hotel every night booking through wotif for less than the cost of our mortgage! I think I would rather stay in our "own" hotel though...
We dropped Isaac off at "Nanna and Pa's house" and then we drove to the city. We parked next to Rymil park and took some lovely photos of ourselves using the timer on my new camera.
Our car was valet parked ($27!) which was convenient, though I could have parked it myself. I wonder if we could leave it in the parking station across the road next time? This was the first trip away that we brought only one suitcase, and it was absolutely fantastic. It is on wheels, and it was so easy to bring up to the room. We didn't need as much space as it provided but it made packing much easier!
Ceiling fan in Eros
Eros ceiling detail - I love the hearts!
We arrived in the city well before check-in time and parked on Pirie Street along Rymill Park.We had a relaxing walk through the park and took a couple of photos using my new camera (yey!). On Rundle Street we ate lunch at Eros. This restaurant is fantastic, especially if you love Greek food, which I do. The atmosphere is very european, and I love the chairs in this place - I am sure they must be imported. The food was divine, and I drank my first glass of wine in two and a half years! I had another:)I guided Jeremy into the Mary Martin Bookshop, and purchased another book that fits my alternative values. This time it was Deep Economy by an American author. It's quite wordy, and I find that he does not spend enough time on one area - it seems to jump around - an obvious problem when such a long book has only five chapters. However, the anecdotal style that I enjoy and the issues it covers, such as unsustainable growth and the value of local community systems are dear to my heart.
Art glass in the InterContinental foyer
When we arrived at the hotel our car was valet parked and we relaxed in our room. Of course the first thing we did was check out the bathroom, bed, cupboards etc. We ate a chocolate bar from the Mini Bar (I think it was $5), and then we relaxed with our reading material until I left for my massage. Both of us had 1 hour massages booked in the lovely room downstairs outside the gym. It wasn't as good as the massage I had their last time, and I had a different masseuse, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I was feeling a bit giddy about how fantastic our trip was going at this point, and I often thought of Isaac - but not that often!Our dinner was booked in for 8pm, so we had a bit of free time that was spent showering, reading and eating a room service toasted sandwich (delicious - food always tastes better when someone else makes it). I loved flopping about in the fluffy robes, even though I was wearing it over my clothes - and it was 39 degrees outside! Before dinner we had a drink in the Atrium bar. I felt very high class drinking in there, especially as our drinks were $10 each! This was the only purchase in the hotel that I thought was not worth the money. Mostly because I ordered a red wine spritzer, and I have gone off red wine lately. I think I drank about $2.50:)
Little Japanese jug with soy sauce - note the grill in the background
One of my favourite parts of the entire trip was the restaurant, Shiki. First off, the entrance to the restaurant is like walking into a Japanese garden. We were led to an octagonal table (everything in the hotel is octagonal!) that seated about 8 people, and had an enormous flat grill in the middle, behind which the chef was cooking. It was absolutely amazing being able to watch the chef cook our food, and talk to him at the same time. He even explained everything that he was about to cook, and did it all with two spatulas that he was chopping and swishing like crazy. It was so relaxing to be eating and entertained at the same time.
Jeremy playing at the Atrium
At this point we were both pretty tired and we started bickering about Jeremy playing the grand piano in the bar. I was thinking Pretty Woman! I couldn't believe it when Jeremy agreed and the barman said he could actually play! He played for about 15 minutes - one composition he made up on the spot, another was a jazzy piece that he has written, and then he played a worship song. It was simply amazing. And I really did want to make love to him after that, my dream man. Unfortunately Jeremy is not a millionaire and couldn't ask the people in the bar to leave, so we retired to our room and went to sleep instead!
King Henry VIII - I wondered why this looked familiar - I remembered the clothes from The Other Boleyn Girl, played by Eric Bana
In the morning we slept in until 8. What a luxury! And then we discovered we had run out of money:) This is what happens when you live like rich people but you aren't. Well, in comparison to millionaires. So we opted for a toast and muffin breakfast instead of the full buffet, but was still completely enjoyable. After breakfast we made our way on the free 99C bus up North Terrace to the Art Gallery. Here Jeremy ran into a lady who lives around the corner from us and is the Volunteer Coordinator for the gallery. She gave us free passes to see the exhibition of the works of John Brack. It was absolutely fantastic, and definitely worth the $28 you would normally pay for two to see it. I loved his paintings of his children, and his later works that make fantastic comments on society. He also captures the spirit of Australia in the 1950s, with images of housing, families, businesses etc. Viewing art really refreshes my spirit.It was the best 5th year wedding anniversary celebration ever, despite the fact that it was a year and 4 months late!
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